DOH: Employers can't require COVID-19 tests for returning workers

Employees returning to work are not required by their employers to undergo a COVID-19 test, according to Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

Vergeire clarified that the government's COVID-19 tests are reserved for individuals exhibiting symptoms of the disease.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque deemed it unacceptable for local government units (LGUs) to impose mandatory COVID-19 testing for returning workers.

Roque stated that rapid testing should not be a precondition for employees allowed to resume work.

The DOH also stressed that rapid antibody tests are not a reliable basis for determining if an employee can return to work, as they only detect antibodies and not the active virus.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is coordinating with LGUs to remind them that workers must not be forced to undergo rapid testing for COVID-19.